Saria
by Kiriski
Summary: Her soul was tired, her time had come. Skull Kid was crying.


Saria could only stare at the vibrant young Kokiri coming towards her. Small chubby hands eagerly set in her direction as Link dashed across the village, seeming to hold something wrapped in one of them. She tried very hard not to giggle at his antics, every few steps he would trip on air before leaping to his feet and starting towards her again. He was becoming sensitive in his lack of coordination at his age.

She couldn't remember what it was like to be four, but she imagined herself with more grace than Link was exhibiting at the moment.

Where _had_ he been this week?

He was halfway to her, and now she could see the mud stains covering his tunic. His legs from the knees down were scratched and bruised. Although he looked quite energetic his eyes showed a hint of weariness.

At last Link reached her. With a merry grin he leapt on the last stride towards her and tackled her to the ground, laughing merrily as they fell. Saria could feel his little body shudder with exhaustion and excitement. How on earth was he pushing past his limits? He snuggled eagerly into his Saria.

Just as Saria was about to demand they go to clean him, he raised himself of her and unwrapped the object he was carrying. Suddenly all words left her.

Link carefully placed the dark green headband in her grasp. He gave her the biggest heartfelt smile she had ever seen and kissed her cheek before cuddling into her warm body.

"_What do you think Link? . . . I know it doesn't match. Maybe the ribbon? You're so lucky to have blonde hair Link, I can't find anything that will match mine."_

He had listened. Saria felt her lip quiver and her eyes sting a bit before carefully shifting the young one in her grip. With a giggle she replaced the awkward cap on her head with the new gift from her friend. She would have to hear this story later, after she cleaned him up a bit.

* * *

"Link . . . you can't give a deku scrub a haircut."

* * *

Finally the day had come. Link had reached the same age as the rest of the Kokiri. It had been twelve years since the Great Deku Tree had introduced him to the village, now he would stop his aging and live with the forest with safety.

The day had started out wonderful. Saria had never seen Link look as happy as he did today. Fellow Kokiri gathered around him giving hugs, masks, and gifts of all kinds. Mido presented him with his very own gathering pot, so Link would no longer have to gather his food every day. His smile only got wider.

Until the day was over, and he never received a fairy, then his smile was gone.

Uneasy glances were shared by the Kokiri who had been celebrating for the aged boy. They were unsure whether to reassure Link or be wary of him. Eventually they showed him the house built in his honor and left after quietly congratulating him, careful not to mention his lack of fairy.

Only Saria stayed. She watched as the first tear left his eye and he squeezed his lids tightly shut. A sob escaped him, only one, before he clamped his hands over his mouth and fell to the floor, trying his hardest not to cry. The sight broke the forest girl's heart.

She knelt next to him, pulling him into her arms. Already the warm feeling she was getting around him started to emerge, quickly she shoved them back down. Link needed his best friend right now, not a girl with all these emotions directed towards him. Saria tried to transfer all the reassurance she could transfer in her hug. A sigh of relief escaped as she felt him stop crying.

He pulled at her belt, "Saria?"

Giggling slightly at his "one eyebrow" face she looked at her belt. Oh, he had spotted her present. She handed the gift to him, smiling at the utter glee in his expression as he tore through the colored paper.

"It's your very own Kokiri cap." Saria winked, "When you get your fairy, it'll need a nice safe place to stay when it rains."

Link nodded with a crooked smile, shifting the cap this way and that trying to find the perfect place upon his head. She giggled when it got tangled in his hair.

Still, Saria couldn't get rid of the bolt of fear that went through her when she noticed the cap wouldn't curve slightly skywards like the rest of the Kokiri boys.

* * *

". . .!"

"Link. Get. Out."

". . . it really turned your hair pink."

"You did this on PURPOSE? Out. Out. OUT!"

"I – "

"OUT!"

* * *

Somehow, she wasn't as happy as she should have been when he finally got his fairy a couple of months after his Kokiri age day. It was just in time too, Mido had been making the past few months hard for her Link. She really would have to have a few words with them.

Sure, she smiled and was truly glad for his fairy's arrival . . . but not enough. As soon as she saw that fairy and heard where he was going her throat tightened. Never before had the urge to tackle him to the ground and never let him leave had been so strong. Why? The Great Deku Tree probably only wanted to tell Link why his fairy was delayed.

In her heart, Saria knew that she was lying to herself.

When she felt the death of her father, she didn't cry for the Tree. She cried because she knew something was going to happen to Link. Grabbing her ocarina she dashed to the bridge while everyone felt the shock, trying to dry her tears before Link would come. Of course, she didn't know how she knew that he was going to leave the forest. No way was she going to let him go without a goodbye.

He couldn't hide his surprise when she came out, she could tell. Link was her best friend, of course she could tell. Saria felt her heart beat faster as Link leaned towards her for a moment, but then he stepped back and ran ran ran, without giving her a glance back.

Saria couldn't help but feel cheated somehow.

* * *

"You're right. That owl is stalking you."

* * *

He came back to her, months after leaving. She was so engrossed in her song her fairy smacked the back of her head to grab her attention. Luckily she didn't chip her tooth on her ocarina. There he was, with a new shield. He explained it was Hylian.

Fear and uncertainty churned within her soul as he spoke of the towns he had visited and how large the beings called "adults" were. He spoke of how strange it was that no one in the outside world ate bark.

All she could notice was that he had grown. Not that much, but enough to disturb her.

He had already reached his age. He wasn't supposed to grow anymore.

Link was Kokiri.

Kokiri.

Kokiri.

Still, she pushed it aside and told him about her secret place. Her song. An urge told her he was short on time. It would be an important place for them someday. Whenever he was done with his new friend Zelda's mission, she promised to show him what was in the stairs above.

…He was doing it again. Link was making her heart beat faster and her face turn pink, he was only hugging her goodbye for goodness sake. Why was she – why was he moving closer?

Saria felt her heart pound harder with every beat. Link's face grew closer and his grip tightened. Surely he was just kissing her cheek. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends. His lips brushed hers, and she could only feel. Saria felt warmth spread through her body making her toes curl a bit. All too soon he pulled away with a sheepish smile, winked, and was off again.

Never has a Kokiri been able to feel like this. Saria knew her emotions were a bad thing.

She thought it was even worse she was panicking about something that felt so good. She regretted feeling worse. Regretted regretting feeling worse.

Kokiri are never supposed to grow up . . . but now she knew she had passed by a bit of childhood with that kiss.

* * *

"Ruto called you her _what?_"

* * *

No matter how hard she played he never replied. For seven years he never came to visit.

Saria could only watch as the forest died. Crisp green leaves turning to fragile browns and yellows. Skull kids became restless, they played their songs with anger and wandered from the woods to lure outsiders in. Never had Kokiri heard such screams from the forest . . . nor such terrifying laughs. Insanity had truly grabbed those creatures.

Her head hurt more often as the meadow called to her crying. She knew she had to go.

* * *

"Help."

* * *

So this was it. Why she was growing so weary of her fellow children. Knowledge ran through her veins, as did the forest. Running through her veins. No longer would she be able to live among her people. After all was over she would be bound to the temple, wouldn't she? The times for games and childhood was over, she was a Sage.

Link.

He had grown. Her heart broke. Looking in his eyes, she was sure his heart was broken too. She could see he was still a child in those eyes. He was still hers. Saria felt old beyond her years and accepted (never never NEVER) their fate.

He was a hero.

She was a Sage.

They had their own destinies.

It didn't mean it hurt less.

It especially hurt when Link tried to reach her while she tried to send him back to the real world. It especially hurt when he succeeded. She wanted to rip her heart out when he gave her the last kiss they would ever share.

Mido would pay for telling Link she loved him.

Saria felt so lonely whenever she didn't hear her song.

* * *

"Rauru, there's one skull kid I'm concerned about. He's been . . . angry ever since he returned to the lost woods, his fairies won't speak of why."

"He's stalking me."

"Link tells me the skull kid took him to a place called Termina."

"Just like the owl, it followed me there too."

". . . put down the ocarina Link."

* * *

He came to visit once a year.

The seal was strong enough so that she could wander in the meadow whenever he did come to visit. Otherwise she stayed in the temple. Alone. Her fairy had left her, the Kokiri would not brave the woods to come see her. Link could only come once a year.

She could tell they were both too old for their bodies the first time he came. He had once again saved the world. He was now an adult in a child's body. She was an old woman in a child's body. Still, together they would play, they would run, they would swing, and they would tease.

Saria found herself grateful he could still act his age, even if he was forced to be grown up in his child body.

Every year when he came he had grown. Taller, smarter, and stronger. Soon they couldn't play like they used to. She would put her cheek on his lap as they spoke of their lives. Well, mostly she listened to his life, all she did was maintain the forest, the temple, and the seal.

On the twenty-fifth year he didn't come alone.

Link entered the meadow with a grin on his face, and a baby in his arm. Saria gazed at them with an empty heart, no matter how hard she fought her emotions, tears made their way down her face. He had grown away from her completely. She was losing her best friend. Link only let one tear escape. The baby cried very hard, she couldn't see any tears coming from it though.

At the forty-fifth year, Link showed her his first grey hair.

He stopped coming for a long time after that. Saria tried to reason with herself, after all, she was still a (old) child. She was far too young (so old) to understand his life now. She quietly lived on her own for many years, the forest flourished under her hands. The Deku Sprout was now the new Father of the Kokiri, she shortened the time he had to grow. Skull Kids now played with the children of the forest. They taught them how to blend in and vanish with the trees. Kokiri taught them in return many songs and dances to express joy. Saria could hear it all, but couldn't join in.

Thirty years after he stopped coming, he came back. His once strong jaw line sagged with extra skin, hands skinny and frail reached for her eagerly, and for a moment he was four again. He smiled and he was twelve again. Link said her name and he was a child again.

He fell into her arms.

"Saria."

She could hear his breathing grow harsher as he gripped her tighter. He let one arm go reach into a pocket and she almost cried when he opened his palm to show her what he retrieved. Her fairy ocarina.

Sniffed and smiling she quietly told him they would always be friends. She kissed him goodbye (she wished she didn't know), his lips were wrinkled as well as the rest of his skin. He hugged her and kissed her forehead.

Soon he stopped breathing.

His son came to take his body away. His son went by Ran now, short for Ranneld. Ran was most definitely grown now. He too had grey hair now.

Saria gripped the fairy ocarina in her hands and entered the temple. Sealed it behind her.

* * *

"I miss you"

* * *

Darunia was the first to die.

Horror filled her entire being as she watched his body fade from the Sacred Realm. Shadows crept along the Goron's rock hard chest and blood fell past his lips as he gurgled helplessly before finally letting his body fade completely.

Laughter filled the entire realm.

Saria never knew there could be so much blood in a Goron.

She didn't know a Zora actually had green blood.

Rauru had two stomachs.

Impa and Nabooru must have been killed in the real world.

Ganondorf's laughter seemed louder. Her seal was the only one remaining.

Dread and horror, the corpses surrounding her escalated those emotions even more. Shadows leapt towards her, not at all affected by the forest energy she threw. Vines escaped her hands attempted to capture Redeads appearing out of nowhere. She dodged water that threatened to drown her. Lightning struck her body until her skin was burnt. Saria was sure her heart had stopped several times. However, she was quite old.

And she was a child.

Saria could see the energy all around her, the temple of time crumbling as the foul mans attacks grew more chaotic. Even if he killed her, she would not allow him to take this temple . . . or Link's sword. Old blue eyes filled with resignation, lifting her child hands, she asked the forest to help her. The eyes turned a bitter green as winds swirled.

The laughter stopped.

It turned into a scream of rage as the winds howled from her body. Saria lifted it all, the chamber, the temple, the Master Sword (Link), everything she took. She begged the forest to combine the two temples, and felt a wave of power when it accepted her request. Slowly, her eyes turned to see the Gerudo king, his veins were pulsing. With the last of her strength she pushed. She pushed with all of her power, she pushed with the all of her life energy as she felt the forest trying to pull her back to the realm she belonged in.

She felt him enter the Twilight.

Tugging sensations guided Saria and pulled her back to her Sacred Meadow. She could see the Master Sword, and vaguely make out the new hybrid temple. No joy filled her with her success, her soul was tired. Her time had come.

Gently, her head was cradled. Forcing her eyes open, she was met with a sight that was never meant to be seen. Skull Kid was crying. The same Skull Kid that had bought a mask from Link, stole a deadly mask, and threatened giants. This child held her gently, his tears falling on her small nose.

"Forgive me," she whispered, truly regretting, "I had forgotten that we were the last."

Extinct, that's right. The Kokiri were gone, Skull Kids were gone. They were the only two left. She lifted her hand to Kid's face, gently brushing his tears away.

"Would you like to learn my song before I go? I only teach it to my friends." Saria licked her lips, "You've already learned it though haven't you?"

Skull Kid nodded, giggling "It was fun."

"Will you do me a favor then?"

Skull Kid lifted her body into his lap and nodded.

"Guard the Lost Woods." She looked into his eyes. My, they had changed, as had his face. "Play my song to keep this forest alive. Let no one near the temple with ill intention in their heart. Will you do this for me?"

At the creature's nod, she touched his hand and felt the last of her power go to him. The seal on the vile Gerudo broke. Saria apologized to whoever lived in the realm she had sent him to. She sensed someone strong there. Hopefully they could defeat him . . . or stall him. For Saria felt no hero was ready to take on the challenge. Time was needed.

Skull Kid carried her as he designed statues for guarding the meadow. He carried her as he began to bring the forest to life with her song. Occasionally he sent a smile down at her, watching as her breath grew shorter.

Saria gazed at the trees above her, and saw no more.

* * *

This would not get out of my head. At all. It's a new style I'm trying, slightly AU. Hope you enjoyed it. Disclaimed.

For those of you who are reading my other stories, the happy one (Darn Mechanic) I am working on, the psychotic one I have hit a writers block.


End file.
